On the recordDecember 6, 2022
I thank Chairwoman Lofgren for her leadership and Chairman Nadler for his staunch support to move my bill, the Veteran Service Recognition Act, through committee and to bring it to the floor. As chairman of the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs, one of my top priorities has been the prevention of undue noncitizen veteran deportations. Most Americans would be shocked and in disbelief that we have deported people who have served in our military, have served in uniform, have even been in combat. They would be shocked to learn that we have done this, but it is true. We have actually taken American heroes who have served in our military and deported them. While many would be shocked to learn that veterans who have served our country are being subjected to deportations, the number of these individuals is unknown because we have not kept adequate records on who these people are. In 2019, Representative Vargas and I requested that the Government Accountability Office evaluate the scope of servicemember and veteran deportations and determine the state of and adherence to DHS policies on such deportations, DHS' own policies. What the GAO found was significant gaps not only in the Federal approach to processing potentially removable veterans but also in how the government facilitated the naturalization of noncitizen servicemembers and veterans.…
